Automatic fire-extinguisher



D. G. STILLSON. AUTOMATIC FIRE BXTINGUISVHER.

No. 568,886. Patented 061', 6 1896.

VILQ 55.555 7 "m: annals mas co. mid-um, wxsnmomu, o. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL C. STILLSON, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,886, dated October 6, 1896.

Application filed December 16, 1895- Serial No. 572,225. (F0 model.)

To a, Hill/0772 it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL (J. STILLsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire- Extinguishers, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic fire-extinguishers of the kind in which a water valve or cut-01f on a supplypipe is normally held closed against its seat by means of wire provided at intervals with fusible metal couplings that will melt in case of a fire as soon as the heat reaches the meltin g-point of such fusible couplings, and thereby causing the water-supply valve or cut-off to be opened, so as to force the water out through suitable sprinklers located at convenient places, according to the nature of the room, building, elevator-well, &c., that is to be protected by the device.

The invention is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- V Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the improved automatic fire-extinguisher shown in normal position as applied to an elevatorwell. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section on the broken line 2 2 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on the line 3 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a detail side view of the tripper-levers shown in released posit-ions. Fig. 5 represents a detail front view of the wire and wire-guards. Fig. 6 represents a cross-section on the line 6 6 shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 represents a detail cross-section on the line 7 7 shown in Fig. 2.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

In the drawings, A represents the inclosing walls of an elevator-well, as usual.

13 represents the water-supply pipe, located at or near the lower portion of said well.

Said supply-pipe is connected to a stand-pipe O, which is provided at its upper end with a perforated sprinkler-pipe D, surrounding the well A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The sprinkler-pipe-D is provided with a series of perforations cl d d, through which the water is forced into the well, as shown in Fig. 3.

I wish to state that I do not confine myself to this particular kind of sprinkler; neither do I wish to confine myself to the use of the device for an elevator-well only, as other or well-knownforms of sprinklers may be used for rooms, buildings, elevator-wells, &c. ,without departing from the spirit of my invent-ion.

E represents the valve or cut-off on the supply-pipe B, and to the stem of said valve is secured a lever F, having attached to its upper end a weight f, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

G is a hammer-lever pivoted at g to the lever F and provided at its upper end with a head or hammer g. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.)

The pivoted hammer-lever G is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by mechanism, as will hereinafter be described, and when in such normal position it serves to hold the valve-lever F and its valve E in closed position, (shown in Fig. 1,) and for such purpose I prefer to make on the lever F a supporting-bar F, the upper end of which is con nected to the lever F by means of suitable links F, on which there is a rest projection or pin f, resting against the hammer-lever G when the latter is held in the normal position shown in Fig. 1.

IVithin the upper end of the well or room is secured at h the wire H, connected at intervals to fusible couplings H', as shownin Fig. 2. The lower end of said Wire H is secured to a pivoted pawl-lever I, that is pivoted at i and adapted to interlock with a releasing-lever K, pivoted at k and provided with a weight K, as shown in Fig. 2. The pawl and releasing levers are preferably pivoted to a box or bearing L, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 7, and in practice I prefer to provide the lever K with antifriction-rollers m m," adapted to bear against the inside of the box L, as shown in Fig. 7, so as to avoid fricti onal resistance when the lever K is released. To the free end of the lever K is secured an upwardly projecting pin or extension it, against which the hammer-lever G is normally held, said hammer-lever G having for this purpose a pin or pin and 'roll G on one side, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7.

For the purpose of protecting the wire H and its fusible couplings H from injury or contact I inclose such parts between stationary protecting plates or ribs N 'N,-between the outer edges of which there is left an open space 0 (shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7) to permit the heat, in case of a fire occurring in the vicinity of said wire, to be communicated to the fusible couplings I-I.

The operation is as follows: If a fire should occur in the well A or vicinity of the wire H, the latter is caused automatically to be broken by the melting of the fusible couplings H, causing the pawl I to be released from the lever K, which will be swung by the weight K to the position shown in Fig. 4, thus liberating the ham lner-lever G, which will fall against the valve-lever F and turn the latter to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby causing the valve E to be opened and allowing the water from supply-pipe B to be forced up through pipe 0 and out through sprinkler-pipe D, as represented in Fig. 3.

mer-lever and Valve-lever in position and the valve closed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 9th day of December, A. D. 1895.

V DANIEL C. STILLSON. Vitnesses:

ALBAN ANDREN,

LAI'iRETz N. MoLLER. 

